AG: School Transit Company Owner Ignored Background Checks For Drivers

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – The owner of Three Rivers Transit is facing a long list of charges.

Martin W. Betchy, 35, is accused of allowing employees with criminal records to transport charter students in vehicles that were not properly insured.

"The conduct of this individual put many innocent children at risk," Attorney General Beemer said in a statement. "There are safeguards in place to ensure that the people trusted with transporting school students are qualified and suitable drivers. Those necessary protections were ignored time after time as this individual acted with disregard for the law and the safety of these children."

According to the criminal complaint, Betchy was contracted with Propel Schools in Pittsburgh. Several vehicles used by Three Rivers Transit were insured through personal policies, rather than commercial ones.

Many were also not registered under Three Rivers Transit.

In 2015, one of the drivers caused a crash that resulted in a 9-year-old student suffering a concussion.

Through the course of an investigation, it was determined that Betchy did not perform required background checks and child abuse clearances.

"The gentleman who we filed charges against today was operating a company where he was using drivers who had criminal records and was also using vehicles that were not properly insured," said Jeffrey Johnson, the acting deputy press secretary of the Attorney General's Office.

Some of the drivers had criminal histories including drug offenses, DUI, robbery and aggravated assault.

"Many of the drivers who were transporting these students were convicted criminals who had been involved in very serious criminal issues," Johnson said.

One of the drivers didn't even have a driver's license.

Propel told KDKA-TV the company transported 55 of its students, and the contract has been cancelled effective immediately.

Propel was in touch with families to make arrangements for those students to get home from school today, and will cover changes for Thursday and Friday. The holiday break will allow Propel to make proper, new arrangements for when students return after the New Year.

It was a lucrative contract for Three Rivers Transit. They were paid more than $2 million between 2012 and today.

Betchy is facing charges of insurance fraud, theft, endangering the welfare of children and various computer crimes.

He is due in court for a preliminary hearing on Thursday.

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